Opinion

Tech gifts for seniors a risky choice

A seniors community resident gets a lesson on how to use her iPhone. Education is a key consideration when older users are given newer technology.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/12/2017 (523 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Thinking about getting grandma or grandpa a techno-gadget this holiday season? Wired seniors may be the way of the future, especially among those 60 to 70 years old. Nowadays, about 80 per cent of senior residents in the United States own cellphones, and about 42 per cent of them own smartphones. At least two-thirds of Canadian seniors use the internet.

So, maybe you should give the newest gadget to baby boomers in your life. Except that, according to the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project, these older internet users may be “sitting ducks” for technology-facilitated invasions of privacy.

Raised in a time when privacy was protected by the courts, older adults may not understand the extent to which technology opens the door to Big Brother. Canadian courts have long protected the privacy of body and home, denying even law enforcement the right to surveillance in homes and private spaces such as bathrooms.

But new technologies may now breach these boundaries. “Wearable devices collect data about you and your condition, activities and day-to-day choices.”

Your free trial has come to an end.

We hope you have enjoyed your trial! To continue reading, we recommend our Read Now Pay Later membership. Simply add a form of payment and pay only 27¢ per article.

For unlimited access to the best local, national, and international news and much more, try an All Access Digital subscription:

Thank you for supporting the journalism that our community needs!

Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/12/2017 (523 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Thinking about getting grandma or grandpa a techno-gadget this holiday season? Wired seniors may be the way of the future, especially among those 60 to 70 years old. Nowadays, about 80 per cent of senior residents in the United States own cellphones, and about 42 per cent of them own smartphones. At least two-thirds of Canadian seniors use the internet.

So, maybe you should give the newest gadget to baby boomers in your life. Except that, according to the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project, these older internet users may be "sitting ducks" for technology-facilitated invasions of privacy.

Raised in a time when privacy was protected by the courts, older adults may not understand the extent to which technology opens the door to Big Brother. Canadian courts have long protected the privacy of body and home, denying even law enforcement the right to surveillance in homes and private spaces such as bathrooms.

Information collected is part of the big data being gathered through many of our daily activities. In a recent report on privacy implications of wearable technology, surveillance studies researchers Debra Mackinnon and Steven Richardson suggest it is important to distinguish between "what the data is produced for versus what it can be used for."

Criminology professor Valerie Steeves says "the devices we use — our access cards, cellphones, and internet connections — continually leak information about us into the ether, and that information is routinely collected unobtrusively by a number of third parties, including the state."

Surveillance is big business

Although older users are more careful in their clicking behaviour than their younger counterparts, they are less likely to engage in self-protective behaviours such as installing security updates for their computer software. This raises all sorts of practical and ethical questions, including: When you gift an older adult with technology are you placing your loved one in harm’s way?

For example, a smart watch that offers features such as GPS that tracks your loved one, medication reminders, a pedometer to count steps or an accelerometer to detect falls may be transmitting or storing that data. The information gathered by a smart watch may be of as much interest to insurance companies as it is to wearers or their families.

Even if your gift is something simple, like a tablet computer or a smartphone, the same risks that face young people on the web exist for older adults. The social networking sites that lure both young and old are designed to observe and report on every click and "like," which are then sold to advertisers for targeted marketing.

In most cases, data will be used to guide a person to products and services, creating an ever more personalized advertising presence in the social media page – for example, advertisements that reinforce attitudes already demonstrated through "likes" and following web links.

But personal data is also vulnerable to misuse, ranging from financial scams to credit card companies selling information on purchasing data to advertisers.

If you are gifting someone who is not technologically savvy, consider giving the gift of time along with that gift of a tablet or smartphone.

Lisa F. Carver is an assistant professor (adjunct) in the department of sociology, post-doctoral fellow, SSHRC funded ACTproject, and research associate in the department of medicine at Queen's University, Ontario.

This article was first published at The Conversation Canada: theconversation.com/ca.

You can comment on most stories on The Winnipeg Free Press website. You can also agree or disagree with other comments.
All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or digital subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

Have Your Say

Comments are open to The Winnipeg Free Press print or digital subscribers only. why?

Have Your Say

By submitting your comment, you agree to abide by our Community Standards and Moderation Policy. These guidelines were revised effective February 27, 2019. Have a question about our comment forum? Check our frequently asked questions.